Casa Pombo

One of the oldest buildings in Cartagena, restored and reinvented as enormous luxury apartments.

• Central location on the Plaza de La Proclamación across from the cathedral
• The chance to stay in the same room as Javier Bardem, who was based here while filming Love in the Time of Cholera

There is no sign for Casa Pombo but you can’t miss the stately, elegantly restored, lemon-colored building that dominates an entire corner near Cartagena’s main cathedral. And even this spectacular exterior won’t prepare you for what awaits inside. The building’s foundations have been dated back to 1585, but Casa Pombo was brought back to life as five thoroughly modern, multi-bedroom luxury apartments, using a combination of painstaking restoration and breathtaking modern design.

The building was constructed largely from stone and many of the original architectural details have survived, including imposing arches on the ground floor which are a rare example of a stone arch from the period built without bricks or other filler. A team of 10 master craftsmen worked for nearly a month to uncover and restore original wall murals from the early-17^th century. A narrow, worn internal stairway, made of stone, is still used today, and climbing up it you almost expect to encounter a colonial servant on her way down.

History is all around you, but so is a remarkably modern sense of style, including the enormous ground-floor wading pool, which appears to be about to spill over into the foyer thanks to a dramatic Plexiglas retaining wall. Many of the apartments are starkly chic on the inside as well, and the juxtaposition of old and new is elegant and playful.

Many of the apartments have private terraces and pools and there’s a shared rooftop pool and social area with amazing views over the old city. A full-time staff is also at your service.

Families or small groups looking for an elegant home-base experience, whether you rent just one spacious apartment or the whole property